Electronic cooking pan systems and methods

Abstract

A digital cooking pan provides temperature and/or food doneness information associated with food cooked within the pan. A thermal sensor coupled with the pan senses temperature and generates corresponding signals, and processing electronics coupled with the sensor convert the signals to data to provide indications to a user of the cooking pan regarding food cooked within the pan. The cooking pan may be programmed to desired food types or personal temperatures or food doneness options. The invention also provides an electronic cooking system in which processing electronics generate a signal relating to cooking characteristics; the signal is transmitted to a cooking appliance controller connected to a cooking appliance to regulate energy output of one or more burners of the appliance. In this way, the heat generated by a cooking appliance for cooking in the digital cooking pan is automatically controlled while the pan is in use. The invention further provides a remote sensing food doneness system for remotely viewing and then determining food temperature and/or food doneness. The remote system uses thermal imaging optics and thermal sensing techniques to remotely sense food temperature. Preferably a second optical element images the food onto a CCD to display an image of the food to a user.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.